Gout is a Common Cause of Joint Pain

The severe, almost unbearable joint pain often starts
in the dead of night. You may have a fever, making you feel even worse.
Lying still helps a bit, but even the touch of a sheet can be
excruciating. Worst of all, your distress may be greeted with a sly
smile instead of supportive sympathy. You are suffering from gout, a
common disease that’s often misunderstood.

Myths and Realities

Gout is an old disease, and mistaken beliefs about it
are just as old. Over the centuries, gout was considered a rich man’s
disease — a product of overeating, excessive drinking, and obesity.

Modern research, however, shows that gout has no
relationship to wealth or social status, and only a slight link to diet
and drink. But one traditional view has proved correct: Gout is
primarily a man’s disease. It occurs seven to nine times more often in
men than women. It’s also a common disease, striking an estimated 3.4
million American men annually.

The Chemical Culprit

An attack of gout occurs when excess uric acid is
deposited in a joint and forms crystals. The joint treats these crystals
as foreign invaders. To fight the invaders, the joint sounds out
signals that it needs help. The body makes more white blood cells, which
are delivered to the joint through the blood stream. These white cells
release chemicals that cause inflammation, swelling and pain.

Uric acid results when purines, a group of chemicals
present in all body tissues and many foods, are broken down. It has no
useful function in the human body.

Normally, uric acid is excreted in the urine. This
keeps blood levels low. But some men have inherited a metabolic glitch
that allows too much uric acid to build up in the blood. Ninety percent
of the time the build-up occurs because the kidneys don’t excrete enough
uric acid. But sometimes the body just produces too much of the pesky
chemical.

Certain medications, such as low-dose aspirin,
thiazide diuretics and niacin, can also increase uric acid levels. Binge
drinking, prolonged fasting, kidney disease, lead toxicity, extreme
muscular exertion, leukemia and lymphomas are much less frequent causes
of high uric acid levels.

These high levels eventually lead to gout, but not
right away. In fact, uric acid levels are typically high for 20 to 30
years before they cause any trouble. That’s why gout usually occurs in
middle-aged and older men.

Uric acid levels in men are normally below 7 mg/dL.
The higher the level, the more likely an attack of gout. However, up to
30% of men with gout have normal uric acid levels at the time of an
attack.

Ouch!

Gout is painful, very painful.

The most common manifestation of gout is acute
arthritis, severe pain in a joint. In most cases, it strikes one joint
at a time — usually the first joint in the big toe. Other frequent sites
include the forefoot, instep, heel, ankle and knee.

Gout is less likely to affect the upper body, but it
can strike fingers, wrists and elbows. At any site, the attack usually
begins abruptly, often at night. Within hours, the joint becomes red,
swollen, hot and painful. The pain and tenderness can be so severe that
even gentle pressure from bedding is a problem. And even though only one
small joint is affected, the inflammation can be intense enough to
cause fever, muscle aches and other flu-like symptoms.

Without treatment, gout can also cause long-term
arthritis, with chronic swelling and permanent joint damage. Uric acid
crystals can build up to a remarkable degree, producing large, even
grotesque, deposits called tophi in joints and other tissues. Crystals
may also be deposited in the kidneys, where they can form kidney stones.

How Is Gout Diagnosed?

Gout is easy to recognize when it hits the usual
target — the big toe. Doctors can often make the diagnosis over the
phone, and most men with gout can diagnose themselves — particularly
when it’s the second or third attack.

But the diagnosis can be tricky in other joints. It’s
simple to measure the level of uric acid in the blood. A high level
supports a diagnosis of gout. But it’s not definitive, because many
healthy men have high levels and some men with gout have normal levels.

Other diseases can mimic gout, including rheumatoid
arthritis, infections and “pseudogout,” which is caused by crystals made
of a different chemical. If the diagnosis is in doubt, doctors can
remove a small amount of fluid from the inflamed joint and look for
crystals using a special microscope.

Treating Gout

Gout responds very well to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) if you start treatment as soon as possible.

Many prescription and over-the-counter NSAIDs are
effective treatments for acute gout. Doctors most commonly prescribe
naproxen, indomethacin or ibuprofen. One exception: Aspirin should not
be used for gout because it can raise uric acid levels. After two to
three days at full strength, you can cut the NSAID dose in half. In most
cases, you can stop treatment after just five to seven days.

People who can’t take NSAIDs because of gastritis,
peptic ulcers or bleeding can take a similar drug, the selective COX-2
inhibitor, celecoxib (Celebrex). Another alternative is an old standby,
colchicine. In addition, a brief course of prednisone or a similar
steroid can also do the job. People who can’t take oral medications can
be given steroids intravenously. Or, they can be injected directly into
the inflamed joint for rapid relief.

Inflamed joints need rest, but men with gout can resume their normal activities as soon as their attacks settle down.

Preventing Gout

For centuries, diet was the main focus of prevention.
But because only about 10% of the body’s uric acid comes from the diet,
it didn’t work very well. Still, every little bit helps. Try to avoid
these foods high in purine:

Watch what you drink. Beer is harmful; coffee is okay; and always drink enough water to avoid dehydration.

Although months or years can elapse between attacks,
more than 75% of patients with gout have several episodes. Men whose
attacks are infrequent don’t need any preventive medication, but they
should have an NSAID on hand to use at the first sign of another attack.
If episodes occur often, prove hard to treat, or if very high uric acid
levels predict frequent attacks, medications can help.

There are three ways to prevent a gout attack:

Medication to help the kidneys excrete uric acid.
Probenecid (Benemid) is the traditional choice; the usual dose is 250
to 500 milligrams two or three times a day. The most common side effects
are a rash and intestinal upsets. Because the drug increases uric acid
in the urine, it can increase the risk of kidney stones. People with
kidney disease should not take probenecid. When starting probenecid, you
are likely to experience an acute attack of gout. However, this can be
prevented by taking a low dose of colchicine or an NSAID daily. Aspirin
doesn’t work because it blocks the activity of probenecid.

Medication to reduce uric acid production.
Allopurinol (Zyloprim) is the best treatment for men with chronic
arthritis or kidney stones due to gout. Febuxostat (Uloric), a new drug
that lowers uric acid production, was approved in 2009. It is an
excellent choice for men who are allergic to allopurinol, but it is much
more expensive. Like probenecid, both drugs can trigger gout. So daily
low dose colchicine or an NSAID (but not aspirin) should be started at
the same time.

Anti-inflammatory medication. A person with recurrent gout could take
daily, low doses of NSAIDs (indomethacin, 25 milligrams twice a day,
for example) or colchicine (0.6 milligrams once or twice a day) along
with medication to lower blood levels of uric acid. This usually does
not need to be continued indefinitely. Also NSAIDs and colchicine should
be used with caution in people with impaired kidney function.

Gout is an old disease that has plagued men — and
many women — for centuries. But the modern era has witnessed major
changes in our understanding of gout and its treatment. While a
healthful lifestyle is always wise, you can control gout by learning how
to treat and prevent attacks themselves with just a little help from a
doctor wise to the ways of gout.

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